England boss Thomas Tuchel criticised home supporters for failing to provide enough noise during Thursday’s 3-0 friendly victory over Wales at Wembley.
Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, and Bukayo Saka struck inside the first 20 minutes as England produced a dominant first-half display. But Tuchel was frustrated that the 90,000 sell-out crowd went quiet after the early goals, contrasting the subdued atmosphere with the constant noise from 7,000 travelling Welsh fans.
“The stadium was silent. We never got any energy back from the fans, and I think the players deserved much more,” Tuchel told ITV.
England fans engaged in their usual paper aeroplane tradition and many left before the final whistle, which added to Tuchel’s irritation. The German coach later doubled down in his post-match press conference, insisting the atmosphere “did not match the performance on the field.”
Despite the lack of noise from the stands, Tuchel praised his side’s sharp first half and said England are in a “step in the right direction” ahead of Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier in Latvia.
Since replacing Gareth Southgate, Tuchel has overseen six wins in seven matches, including September’s 5-0 thrashing of Serbia.
